I went to a debate a few days ago. I really didn't know much about any of the candidates going into the debate. Here were my general perceptions of each of the candidates:

* Kira Willis is clearly passionate and probably a stellar teacher. She seems reform minded and not prone to accepting the status quo. She did not interview well though. She did not have many specific or even practical solutions to get her to the place she envisions. She struck me as someone a bit out of her league jumping straight from the classroom to State Supt. She doesn't even have a leadership perspective to draw from, much less a disrict level perspective, and this was very evident in her responses. I did like her an awful lot, but I don't think I'd be confident in her ability to do the job given her lack of experience.

* John Barge seemed knowledgeable about the scope of the job an has a background in both school level and district level administration. He had an almost laser like understanding of the classroom experience and what is inhibiting teachers from staying in public education and finding success. He appeared to be someone who would be a consensus builder and able to work with many types of individuals to accomplish things (unlike Cathy Cox who was at constant odds with the Governor and others).

* Joe Martin seemed by far to be the most experienced and knowledgeable. His responses to the questions were both thoughtful and well reasoned. He seemed to have a broader perspective than the other 2 candidates about education policy as a whole. The only thing is that his demeanor is a real put off. He was pushy and almost rude throughout - both to the moderator and to the audience. My thought was that he would very easily step into some political muck with his personality and not be able to accomplish some of the great things he had on his agenda. Unfortunately, the State Supt. role requires quite a bit of politicking, so that worried me.

I suppose on the whole I liked John Barge best (but if I could have Barge's personality with Martin's skillset, that's be perfect.) Still more research to do, but that's my initial thoughts.

Joe Martin is just who Georgia needs. He understands the issues and is the only candidate with the experience in regards to school finance that can solve the funding problems that school districts across the state are experiencing. I believe that he will stand up for GA Schools. I will vote for Joe Martin.

Joe Martin is just who Georgia needs. He understands the issues and is the only candidate with the experience in regards to school finance that can solve the funding problems that school districts across the state are experiencing. I believe that he will stand up for GA Schools. I will vote for Joe Martin.

With all due respect, I believe Mr. Martin helped create the current funding formula the state uses for schools, which has many, many issues. Do you believe he'll address the formula or are you referring to general funding problems? The legislature sets the budget for education, so how do you think he'll solve the issue with funding? I'm not disagreeing or agreeing with you, merely wondering about your perspective.

Why would you say Joe Martin has a better skill set? I am concerned that he took 4 dollars a head from students in 50 school districts for a illegal lawsuit and paid him self $76,000 in one year alone! That is not leadership skills, just a scam which cost schools over 2 million dollars

Of course, Barge is the better candidate.Is there an office anywhere that Joe Martin has not run for and lost - big? He will lose then one - big - and immediately start looking for a new one in two years. What an opportunist!

Joe Martin made 4 dollars off each student who was in a school system which joined the consortium's lawsuit to redo the funding formula. check it out on the internet. This is 100% factual. the man just does not need to be the leader of a school system. Time for him to enjoy his retirement and stop making money off kids.

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